Vehicle-wheel.



E'. HOPKINSON. E

. v VEHICLE WHEEL.

j APPLIUATION FILED MARA, 1905. l 9371808.

PatentedA oct. 26;'19o9;

eaasos.'

ERNEST HOPKINSON, vOF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Application led March 8, 1905.? Serial No. 249,014.

To` all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST Hopkinson,

- a citizen of the United States, residing 1n East Orange, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Wheels of which the following is a specification. f

This invention relates to vehicle wheels, and particularly to resilient tires for such wheels and the devices employed for securing the tires in position upon the wheel rims.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a tire with 'simple and effective means byA which the tire may be positively secured upon the-wheel rim in such manner that no creeping of the tire can take place.

The invention is particularly applicable to tires which are substantially inextensible at'the base, and one object of the invention is to provide means whereby such `tires may beA tightened upon the rim sovthatthe frictional engagement of the base of the tire l with the tireseating surface ofthe rim will render creeping of the tire impossible.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a tire and novel devices by which it may be positively secured upon the rim with very little effort and in a very short time.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, I have shown tires of one type only, namely, that which comprises an outer `shoe or casing and an inflatable inner tube. In the several tires illustrated, the outer` shoe or casing is provided at its edges with inextensible hoops or bands. It is. to be understood, however, that the invention is apiplicable to tires of other forms, such as solid p saires, cushion tires or single tube pneumatic "`t,1res; and the scope of the particular invention is clearly defined in the appended claim.

,I IV In`.the drawings, in which corresponding Ato Vjparts are designated by similar characters ofrefe'rence: Figure 1 is a transverse see. tional view through a wheel felly, wheel rim and tire embodying the invention. Fig. 2 Visa fragmentary view in side elevation of a wheel equipped with a tire and frimof the character shlown in Fig.` 1, portionso'f the tire and rim being broken away to show the internal construction.

Referringl to the drawings, F desi nates the felly of the wheel which may e of any ordina or referred construction.

. The wheel rim, which is designated R, is

` secured upon the felly F in any preferred manner and'it comprises several members, the main member 1, which is preferably formed hollow, as shown, forthe sake of lightness, presenting an inner transversely flat wheel face 2 for contact with the felly and an outer transversely flat tire face 3.

At either sideof the main rim member l, a shallow channel 4 is formed to present a seat for a removable side flange 5 which is renderedA expansible and contractibl'e by Specification of'Lette-r-s Patent. Patented 061;. 26, 1909. t

means of a turn buckle 6 or equivalent device which is `interposed between the ends of the side fange. 'Ihe side flanges 5 are preferably tubular in form and are laterally flattened to present suitable surfaces for, engagement with the sides of the outer casing of the tire. V

Encircling the main rim member 1 and resting upon the outer, or tire, face 3 is a ring or hoop 7 which presents an outer vface which is beveled at either side to afford oppositely inclined tire seating surfaces 8. Between the two inclined surfaces 8, the outer face of the hoop presents an intermediate surface which is preferably transversely flat, as shown, and in order that the hoop may embrace the main rim member closely `when imposition thereon and" a`lso be easily applicable to the main rim member or removable therefrom, the hoop -7 is ycut transversely as shown at 9 in Fig. 2.

The tire, whichis designated as T, comprises an inflatable inner tube I of the usual construction and an outer shoe S, which is `provided near its edges with inextensible hoops 10 formed of'one or .more turns of wire, as is usuali'n"tires of the type commonly known as Dunlop tires. The edges of the outer shoe S of the tire are preferably formed as shown in the drawings, present ing inclined surfaces for contact with the inclinedA tire seating surfaces 8 on the outer face of the hoo 7. It is not essential, however, thatthe t1re casingfbe constructed with these inclined surfaces at its edges, as an outer casing o f the ordinary Dunlop construction can bey employed instead.

In. applying the tire to a wheel equipped with the rim above described, the rocedure may be as follows: One of the etachable side flanges lmay be secured in position upon the rim, then the tire may be partially positioned upon the rim with one ed e of the outer ,casing in contact with the se flange which is 'already in position and the other 4then be placed upon the main rim member between the rim. and-the inner tube of the tire, after which the overhanging edge of l'the outer casing of the tire may be pushed.

into contact with the adjacent inclined tire' scatingsurface 8 upon the outer face of the hoop 7. lVhen the operation of applying the *tire has progressed to this extent, one edge of the hoop 7 will project over the adjacent channel 4 which forms a seat for the side flange which is not yet in position, and i'n order to force the tire and the hoop 7 into the position shown in Fig. l, theremaining side flange must be applied to the rim and drawn into engagementV with its seat by means of the turn buckle 6, which affords means whereby the side flange may be powerfully contracted.` As the remaining side flange is contracted, the inclination of the outer side of the channel 4 'which forms the ange seat, coperates with 'the corresponding surface of the side flange to force the flangelaterally a ainst the adjacent surface of the tire, w ich is thereby caused to ride up on the inclined or beveled tire seating surface of the hoop 7. `At the same time the hoop 7 is forced laterally' toward the side flange which is already in position and the edge of the hoo which isadjacent to the side ange alrea y applied isforced between the rim and the adjacent edge of the outer shoe of the tire, thus causing that edge/ of the outer shoe of the tire to' ride up on the inclined tire seating surface so as to tighten the tirethereon.

When t e parts are in the position shown yin Fig.q 1 and both side anges `rest firmly in their seats, the ed es of the outer shoe or casing of the tire will be stretched to the full extent .(pserxntted 10 arranged therein and the presseating vsurfaces 8 wi operate 'effectively to prevent any creeping of the tire upon the by the inextensible hoops s rim, the pressure ofthe tire against the hoop 7 serving also to hold the hoop in close contact with the main rim member to prevent any slipping of the hoop. t

In order to remove the tire Jfrom the rim,

reversed. One of the side flanges 5 is eX- panded bythe use of its turn buckle until it may be removed from its seat, then the tire wand vhoop 7 may be removed laterally until they pass oi-therim. Ordinarily, the removal of one of the side flanges 5 relieves the pressure of the outer casing upon one side of the hoop 7, as the side of the outer casing'tendsto slide off the inclined seating Surface -upon which it rests. If,- however, the outer casing does not slip off the hoop 7 at one side as soon" as the adjacent side ange-is removed, the outer casing may be 'worked to and fro laterally a fewtimes to effect `the loosening of the hoop upon the rim.` 1

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that the tire may be very quickly applied to the rim and easily removed therefrom that when the side anges are in position upon their seats the tire will be held in firm engagement with the rim so small variations in the diameters of the tires and rims may be compensated for.

Having. thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire-to secure by Letters Patent is: p f

.The combination with a wheel rim having an inclined fiange seat and a contractible and expansible side ange en aging said flange seat, of a hoop or ban tire seating surfaces.

In 'witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST HOPKINSON. I Witnesses: "f AI-I. RICHARD WBsE, v

the series of operations above described 1s' encirclingsaid rim -and presenti-ng oppositely inclined casing and the 4 that no creepingpcan take place; and that by using hoops7 of different thicknesses, any 

